


until the petals stop blooming

by goldavn



Series: magical endeavours [1]
Category: Produce 101 (TV), Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Angst, Cherry Blossoms, M/M, Magic, Occult Themes, Spring, im sorry, magical seoul, slices of life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-21
Updated: 2018-03-21
Packaged: 2019-03-28 22:19:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13913340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goldavn/pseuds/goldavn
Summary: If you had a chance to bring back the dead, would you do it? Jihoon learns the blessings and consequences of magic when he does everything in his power to bring back Daniel.





	until the petals stop blooming

**Author's Note:**

> this is a part of the seasonal nielwink fic fest named [starrynights](https://twitter.com/nwstarrynights)and this is a part of the spring fest! please give love to the other fics in this fest, because, they don't disappoint! 
> 
> grab some tissues, maybe. you can roast me in the comment section ~

Spring, if Jihoon had to ever choose, would be both his favorite and least favorite season. Everything pink, blooming and blossoming together at the same time – it was nothing shy of beautiful. But on the darker side of the season, it was a time where Jihoon had experienced great loss and ever since he hasn’t exactly been able to look at himself or other people in the same way as before. It is why he is underground in one of the magic shops he had only heard about. Magic, in Seoul at least, is still not a very accepted thing. For years, many countries around the world have had magical people running for leadership roles, many had become established people in the medical world, and many, in Seoul – had ended up in the underground markets, making a living with what they could. But Jihoon is not there for just your ordinary magical object or spell, he’s there for Daniel. To get Daniel back.

 

There had been a myth that the owner of this particular shop had an assortment of rare goods that many other shops were itching to get their hands on. It seemed like it could be dangerous, but that wasn’t going to stop Jihoon – Woojin seemed trustable enough.

 

When he walked through the door to the shop, a bell chimed above him which probably alerted the store owner to a new customer. Jihoon could hear scuttling sounds from the back of the store and a young man revealed himself as he walked through the curtain.

 

“Can I help you?”

 

“Uh, I’m Jihoon. We talked on the phone?”

 

“Ah yes. Nice to meet you in person.”

 

“I didn’t expect you to be so young.”

 

“Did you think I’d be some middle-aged man or something?”

 

“Kind of.”

 

Their small talk doesn’t last long because Woojin leads him to a table through the back of the store, urging Jihoon to sit with him.

 

“So, what exactly is it that you want by coming to see _me?_ I told you about that psychic which would be far less danger- “

 

“I don’t want to see a psychic. I just want Daniel back.”

 

“Jihoon, you know that by messing with the power of nature and fate is something that can have severe consequences… right?”

 

Jihoon shifts in his seat, and his hands start to get clammy, “I know.”

 

“And you still want to go through with the resurrection spell”, Woojin cocks his head.

 

Jihoon nods his head to which Woojin is prompted to pull out an assortment of items from underneath the table. Bottles, crystals, glittery looking dust and a variety of other things are placed in front of Jihoon, and the one thing that stands out to him the most is a jar filled with cherry blossom petals.

 

“I can’t perform the spell for you because I have no connection to the uh, deceased.”

 

The words make him squirm for a few seconds, but he knows he needs to put his feelings aside for five minutes for him to be able bring _him_ back.

 

“I have written everything down on a piece of paper here for you, but I am going to tell you in better detail now what exactly you should be doing.”

 

Woojin tells Jihoon firstly the way that the candles need to be placed around himself, preferably in a circle or triangle shape. He must light the candles with the matches Woojin has given him or else the spell won’t work. Once the candles are lit, he is to place a bowl in front of him and one by one place the listed items into it. The most important part of the spell is the use of an object that binds both Jihoon and the deceased (Daniel) together. The object Jihoon had selected was the cross earring that Daniel had always worn that was recovered during the accident. As small of an object as it was, Daniel’s parents had passed it onto Jihoon, so that he had at least _some_ part of Daniel with him every day. Jihoon was to place the earring in last and then scatter the blossoms over the top. There was an incantation he was to say aloud, three times before setting alight to everything in the bowl.

 

“What is the significance of the cherry blossoms in all of this?”

 

“This is a very strong spell we are doing. Because we are taking something from nature, we need something to bind the dead in this realm as well as with nature and the realm they had passed on to.”

 

“You must also know, that this spell is not permanent. It will only last the duration of the cycle of cherry blossoms blooming.”

 

It’s disappointing. Jihoon had been hoping it would be a long-term thing or at least permanent and he starts to doubt himself for having such a short period of time. But it’s better than nothing, and he could do everything with Daniel when he was back, say everything that had gone unsaid.

 

“You should also know that spells like these have consequences.”

 

Jihoon is confused.

 

“The deceased will not remember you at all and you will have to build your relationship back up to where it had been before they died. But you should not that there have been rare cases when the deceased has started remembering things they should not be able. Jihoon, if this happens Daniel will stay in this realm and instead it will be you who will be brought back to the spiritual plane – in his place.”

 

Jihoon understands the consequences, and yes, it fucking scares him. But he is confident enough (in his grief-stricken state) that he thinks he can do it successfully because to him it is worth it.

 

“I understand.” Jihoon stands and puts the items into his backpack and hands Woojin the cash he had prepared. Before he leaves, Woojin pulls him back, a surprisingly strong hand wrapped around his bicep.

 

“Please be careful.”

 

“I will be. Thank you, again.”

 

They nod heads and Jihoon leaves. It’s time to get the love of his life back, no matter what the consequences might turn out to be.

  
⚣

 

Jihoon is in the dark in his living room, waiting for the clock to strike three in the morning. He has everything prepared in front of him, ready for the big step he is willing to take in order for Daniel. He is shaking slightly, from nerves, and his eyes keep darting around the items in front of him. He tells himself that it would be normal for him to be getting second thoughts, like maybe Woojin is a fraud and just wanted to give Jihoon a spell to summon a demon secretly – or things like that. His mind is just going a mile a minute and he wills himself to calm down, otherwise the spell might just fail completely if he stayed in this state.

 

Everything is going smoothly, and soon enough he is on to the most important part, the earring, blossoms and the incantation. He starts saying the words out loud, and the sound of his own voice scares from being in silence for so long. He does everything Woojin had told him to and all was left now was to burn the blossoms and everything inside the bowl. He lights the specific matches Woojin had given him and the second the match even hovers above the bowl, it catches fire. Jihoon watches as the contents burn, strangely the earring is having no damage done to it.

 

Woojin had never specified what would happen after the spell had been completed. Jihoon doesn’t know if Daniel would appear in front of him, in his own home or if he would have to go out and search for him. Instead of staying up and thinking about the possibilities, he picked the earring up out of the bowl, blew out the candles and fell asleep on the couch.

 

⚣

 

When he wakes up in the morning, there is no sign of Daniel, and he is disappointed. If he had to go out and search for him, he’d have no clue where to even start. Anxiety starts bubbling up his throat and he thinks he has done the wrong thing.

 

It’s what makes him find his cell phone and call up Woojin, finally giving in.

 

“Hello, this is Woojin.”

 

“Why isn’t he here? Where am I supposed to find him?”

 

“I’m sorry but first of all, Jihoon, if I didn’t know who you were I would have hung up on you because how am I supposed to know what some random is on about and secondly, have you really not figured it out?”

 

“I’m sorry Woojin but I’m really confused and have no idea what to even think. What if he has come back as a zombie, what if I’ve done it wrong, what if I’ve – “

 

“Jihoon. The cherry blossoms. Remember the cherry blossoms. You have to figure this out on your own. And soon, I believe in you.”

 

The phone goes dead and Jihoon feels like he does too. So, the spell has worked after all, but Jihoon has no clue what the hell Woojin was on about. He looks back over to where he had left the bowl last night, remembering all the objects and items he had put inside. _The cherry blossoms._ What is so significant about _cherry blossoms?_ Yeah, Jihoon loves Spring but…

 

_Could it be the cherry blossom park?_

 

All he can do is pocket his phone, his keys and scramble for the door, making sure that he had Daniel’s earring on him. When he reaches the park, he looks from the top of the clearing to see if he can see anyone matching Daniel’s description. Nothing. He walks down the hill, sweaty and in a bit of daze if he was being honest, and looks at the many directions of the park. Cherry blossom petals are on the ground and with each step Jihoon takes he can’t help but be drawn towards a certain spot in particular. A small bride overlooking a small stream is where he ends up. There’s no one there to begin with but when Jihoon turns around and finds himself looking at a particularly large tree, someone reveals themselves from behind it.

 

Could it be… _Daniel?_

 

It is daylight, so Jihoon knows he isn’t seeing things, not when he walks straight up to him with that same damn puppy dog face he is all too familiar with.

 

“Hi! Could you help me find where the train station is? I’m new to area and I’ve gotten lost…”

 

Jihoon’s jaw is open wide, a chilling feel coursing through his veins as Daniel stares into his eyes.

 

“Sorry is there something on my face?”

 

Daniel practically whacks himself dead in the eye with his hand as he swats away at nothing. Jihoon lets out a small sigh, relief, and steps forward. He raises his hand to Daniel’s check, pretending to wipe away dust, but really, he is seeing if he is real or not. He is.

 

“Did you get it?” He sounds panicked, typical Daniel and bugs, and Jihoon nods.

 

“Thank god, you’re a lifesaver.”

 

Those words stab Jihoon in the gut a little, mainly because no, Jihoon is not his lifesaver, and he probably never will be.

 

“Oh, it’s nothing… You’re looking for the train station?”

 

“Yeah! I was trying to read the map on my phone but I got confused and ended up here.”

 

“Well, you’re not too far away. I could walk you there if you want?”

 

“Are you sure, don’t you have something to do…”

 

“I’m free. It’s fine.” Jihoon doesn’t mean to come across as awkward, but how can he not when he has to act like he has never seen Daniel before in his life.

 

“I’m Jihoon by the way.” He holds his hand out and half expects Daniel to swat it away – his boyfriend has never liked handshakes before. But much to his surprise, Daniel shakes it softly.

 

“Daniel.”

 

They walk a few meters more before Daniel starts initiating small talk – yet another thing Jihoon remembers him hating to do with strangers… maybe Daniel feels connected to him? It seems like the only reason why he would be willing to do these things. By the time they small talk and talk about their favorite seasons – Daniel’s is summer but Jihoon already knows that, and Jihoon told him his was Spring – something that Daniel _had_ known in the past.

 

“You strike me as more of a winter guy,” Daniel joked.

 

“You said the same thing…” Jihoon begins but has to stop himself mid-sentence. Why did he just say that? Daniel. Doesn’t. Know.

 

“I said it just then, yes.” Thankfully Daniel must have gotten the wrong idea of what Jihoon had really meant – meaning Jihoon can easily brush it off.

 

“Oh yeah I know, I thought I remembered you saying something earlier…”

 

“I probably did. My memory isn’t too great these days…” Daniel looks sad, and Jihoon knows it’s his fault.

 

“I’m sorry to hear that, is it anything serious?”

 

Daniel looks up at the sky while he thinks of an answer for Jihoon. “Not really, it’s just frustrating.”

 

Jihoon nods. Their conversation stalls and Jihoon uses it as a way to ask Daniel his own question.

 

“So… you’re new to this area?”

 

“Yeah I actually arrived this morning but I need to go into the city to get some documents.”

 

“Oh nice, where were you before?”

 

Daniels silent. “Busan?” It’s not a question to Jihoon but more of a question to himself.

 

“Yeah, Busan. Quite different compared to here right?” Jihoon nods. They’re at the train station and Jihoon shows Daniel to the platform. The train is coming but in the distance, and Jihoon doesn’t know what to do next. Daniel pulls out his cell-phone and taps Jihoon’s shoulder.

 

“I hope this isn’t creepy,” Daniel doesn’t get to finish his sentence because Jihoon cuts him off with a chortling laugh.

 

“Sorry, sorry no it’s not creepy,” Jihoon pulls out his own phone and the two exchange kakao id’s, without even having to ask out in the open – they understand, they have a connection even if Daniel doesn’t remember.

 

“I hope you have a good train ride,” Jihoon says, his voice a little quieter than earlier.

 

“Yeah, I hope you have a nice… walk home?”

 

“Thank you. See you around Daniel.”

 

“Bye Jihoon.”

 

Daniel walks towards the now halted train and enters the door, turning back once to give Jihoon one last wave. When Jihoon turns around he can feel a tear drop from his eyes and it feels like he is saying goodbye to Daniel all over again.

 

⚣

 

After a night of far too much beer and passing out at a very early hour in the evening, Jihoon wakes up and does his morning look at his cell-phone. He sees a couple message notifications lit up on his kakao-talk app. He opens them to see Daniel’s name and his heart does leaps, even a few backflips.

  
**_Daniel:_**  
Hey! Thank u for helping me yesterday. I’m actually in the area again if ur free to have a coffee or something? Allgood tho u might be busy but the offers there _:)_  
9:37 am.

  
He waits a few seconds before he lets his fingers slide over his phone to text him back.

  
Jihoon:  
_Hi! Just woke up sorry, I can meet u at the park at like 10:10 if ur still keen?  
9:39 am._

  
**Daniel:**  
_Sounds good. I’ll see u then.  
9:41am._

A few seconds later Daniel sends through an emoji of the cherry blossoms and Jihoons heart flutters. It seems to easy. It seems far too easy that literally the day after he brought him back that he would be interested. That he would willingly want to see Jihoon again. Daniel could have lived on without showing interest for the season just to suddenly be gone again, but instead it seems like Jihoon will be able to spend it with him after all to at least give him a proper goodbye.

  
He shrugs on a big knit jumper and a scarf (even though it’s spring it’s still a bit chilly) and makes his way out the door once more.

  
When he reaches the park he spots Daniel instantly, how could he not when the guy is wearing a pale pink coat but has matched it with a sleek black blouse and dress pants underneath. His boyfriend always used to dress to impress and it looks like that hasn’t changed at all. Daniel spots him and waves him over and it’s then that Jihoon can take in the actual beauty of the boy that he loves so much.

  
“Didn’t get lost on your way here?” Jihoon smiles up at him and he gets tingles when he Daniel gives him an eye smile which is shortly followed by a soft chuckle.

  
“No. No, I remembered thankfully.”

  
“Good.”

  
Daniel points in the direction of the exit and Jihoon mods, understanding he wants to leave. They walk in semi-silence for a bit, between their coughs or clearing of throats. The air is a little chilly and Jihoon can see their breaths in the air. It’s a reminder for him that what is happening is actually real and not just a figment of his imagination.

  
“So Jihoon, what do you do? Like are you a student or...”

  
“Oh! I’m an actor…”

 

“Wait really?”

 

“I’ve only done some commercials here and there and I’ve been an extra in a few films but that’s it.”

 

Daniel sympathizes with him, “I understand. Being a dog groomer isn’t exactly the job I dreamed of doing when I grew up.”

 

It takes Jihoon all the strength in his body to hold back a laugh because Daniel still has the same damn job. Jihoon always loved going to his store, to see all the dogs that had been brought in for the day. He even had loved helping out, by either playing with the dogs or assisting Daniel with showering them. It had always been a highlight of his day, even if Daniel purposely splashed him with water or let the dogs shake their wet hair on him.

 

“Working with dogs is ideal though for a dog lover, isn’t it?”

 

“I’m actually more of a cat person believe it or not.”

 

It’s satisfying. Knowing exactly Daniel is going to say but asking anyway, just to reassure himself that this really is Daniel.

 

“Oh really? Then why work at a dog grooming store?”

 

“Because it pays well and it doesn’t feel like going to work… it feels more like therapy.”

 

“Animals are big stress relievers.”

 

“I don’t know what I’d do without them.”

 

They arrive at the coffee shop, and Jihoon beats Daniel to the door just so he has the satisfaction of doing something for him – even if it is something as minor as this. Daniel thanks him, squeezes his shoulder even and leads them to a booth in the back. A waiter with purple hair walks over to them, a wide smile plastered on his face. It takes Jihoon awhile to figure out why the man looks so familiar until he is right at their table.

 

It’s Jisung. Daniel’s older brother. He should be freaking out right now but he has no idea who Daniel is.

 

“How can I help you, handsome boys, today?”

 

“I’ll have a flat white.”

 

Daniel scans the menu once more over before ordering for himself, “A mocha please.”

 

“Comin right up.”

 

Jisung takes their menus and shoots them one last smile before heading off back behind the counter.

 

“Do you mind if I step outside for a second? I need to make a call.” Daniel nods, and Jihoon walks outside, Woojin’s number ready to dial in his hand. His hand is shaking as he raises it to his ear.

 

“Hi, Jihoon. What’s up?”

 

“Daniel’s brother doesn’t even remember him. But he remembers me… what the hell is this?”

 

“Did you think the spell would bring him back so that his family who believed him to be dead would have to lose him all over again? It’s not how it works Jihoon. You performed the spell.”

 

“But his brother… he didn’t even recognize me…”

 

“It’s only until the spell is over. After that, everything goes back to normal. Remember Jihoon, any questions I’m always a call away.”

 

Jihoon hangs up and goes back inside, just in time for his coffee to arrive. Jisung places them on the table in front of them and gives them a free muffin to share.

 

“Only because you two look good together,” he whispers before scuttling off. Jihoon chuckles while Daniel blushes, his spoon drifting around the top of the froth on his coffee.

 

While they drink their coffee, they get talking about a number of different things. They talk about Daniel’s job, they talk about an audition Jihoon has on Friday, they talk about their old high schools, anything and everything is so easy to talk about. They sat there for what felt like hours, laughing and conversing and Jihoon’s cheeks even hurt from all of the positive vibes that have formed around them. They decide to go for a walk, and since they are close to the underground, Daniel suggests they go and take a look.

 

“I’ve always heard about it but I’ve never actually been to one myself, you know… the occult shops.”

 

It makes Jihoon nervous, but it should be harmless, something like this wouldn’t be powerful enough to bring back some memories - so, Jihoon let’s Daniel lead him down. Everything is going fine until they reach one of the many alleys, the one that has the shop – Woojin’s shop – and he stops dead in his tracks at the same time Daniel does. Daniel wants to go further down, further towards it but Jihoon convinces him otherwise. He tells Daniel it’s best not to get involved with magic.

 

“If you get caught you’d be imprisoned for life… possibly even worse.”

 

Daniel pouts but agrees, not wanting to risk his new life in this new place and they look at the other shops instead. Jihoon hopes, _hopes_ that Daniel doesn’t come back here without him because he has no idea what he is capable of.

 

No idea at all.

**Author's Note:**

> first of all, this was so enjoyable to write and i love starry nights fic fest so much so please give this fest so much love. we have a fest running for every season, this one being spring, so stay tuned for the remaining seasons! the 2&3 chapter for this is going up a few hours after each chapter release so you will have the ending tomorrow! :-)
> 
> you can reach me at my [twitter](https://twitter.com/goldavnao3) or [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/goldavnao3)
> 
> remember to stay hydrated and keep healthy!
> 
> \- em


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